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EX-ADULT FILM STAR LANA RHOADES WANTS ALL HER VIDEOS DELETED
Former porn star Lana Rhoades says she wants all of her old scenes deleted. The 24-year-old is an outspoken critic of the adult industry, talking openly about its lasting effects on her life and mental health. And speaking to Harry Jowsey for his ‘Tap In’ podcast, she said that she wishes she could go back and delete her videos, but sadly doesn’t have the rights to do so. “A lot of the videos I have no rights under, otherwise I probably would have deleted them all by now,” she said. When asked whether she regrets her time in the industry, Rhoades said: “I do. I honestly tell people, if I could go back, I would give up everything to have my dignity and respect back, and for people not to be able to see me in that way.” But this isn’t the first time Rhoades criticised the industry and discussed her experiences of shooting adult scenes. Earlier this year, she opened up about one the worst things she ever had to do as a porn performer. During the conversation on the Three Girls One Kitchen podcast, Rhoades revealed that she still struggles with the mental impacts of one scene in particular. This was just one of a collection of horrifying reasons and experiences that led Rhoades to take the decision to quit the porn industry for good.
[SOURCE: ladbible.com / ENGAGEMENT: 19.58%]
CONGRESS PASSES LEGISLATION TO MAKE JUNETEENTH A FEDERAL HOLIDAY
For the first time in nearly 40 years, Congress has moved to establish a new national holiday, this time for Juneteenth, and just in time for Saturday’s 156th anniversary of the day which marks the last African American slaves being freed in Texas in the wake of the Civil War. The House voted Wednesday night to pass the legislation. It heads next to President Joe Biden’s desk for a signature. When Biden signs it, as he’s expected to at 3:30 p.m. ET Thursday, according to the White House, Juneteenth will officially become a federal holiday — the first since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was signed into law in 1983. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, a fierce advocate for the Black community who sponsored the legislation in the House, proudly announced from the podium the “bill is passed” before bringing the gavel down. One Republican, Representative Matt Rosendale of Montana, said in a charged statement ahead of the evening vote that he opposed the legislation that was “an effort by the Left to create a day out of whole cloth to celebrate identity politics.” Senator John Cornyn, Republican-Texas, a lead sponsor of the Senate bill, called the statement “kooky” in a tweet. The final vote in the House was 415-14. Other House Republicans who voted no on the legislation include Representatives Thomas Massie, Scott DesJarlais, Mo Brooks, Andy Biggs, Tom Tiffany, Doug LaMalfa, Tom McClintock, Mike Rogers, Andrew Clyde, Ralph Norman, Chip Roy, Paul Gosar and Ronny Jackson of Texas. The House vote came after the Senate — in a surprise move Tuesday — passed the measure by unanimous consent following a single Republican senator dropping his opposition. Juneteenth — also known as Freedom Day, Liberation Day and Emancipation Day — marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, to ensure that African Americans still enslaved were freed following both the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and end of the Civil War. The advance by Union Army Gen. Gordon Granger came 30 months and 19 days after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, which had declared, “all persons held as slaves within any States, or designated part of the State, the people whereof shall be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” But with the seven Confederate states operating under their own president, slaves in the South weren’t exactly free to go. It would take another two months after Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House in April 1865 that troops would arrive in Galveston to free the final 250,000 people enslaved there. Most left the area despite a message from Union troops that they could stay and work for their owners as employees. A few months later, in December 1865, the 13th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified and abolished slavery.
[SOURCE: abcnews.go.com / ENGAGEMENT: 11.08%]
JOE BIDEN, VLADIMIR PUTIN MEET IN GENEVA FOR FIRST FACE-TO-FACE SUMMIT
President Joe Biden’s first face-to-face meeting as president with Russian President Vladimir Putin was underway Wednesday in Geneva following a weeklong European tour in which Biden reaffirmed U.S. alliances and reiterated his message that “America is back” on the world stage. After more than an hour in the first round of talks that included top diplomats for both countries, Biden and Putin moved into an expanded bilateral meeting which is expected to include members of each country’s delegation. Biden’s first international trip as president culminates with highly anticipated talks with Putin that are expected to last at least four hours, a senior administration official told reporters aboard Air Force One. The two leaders are expected to focus on nuclear arms, cyberattacks and human rights, the official told reporters on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss the summit. Swiss President Guy Parmelin made a few brief remarks welcoming the two leaders, before Biden and Putin shook hands, looked at each other, smiled and then entered the 18th-century villa where their talks are taking place. Parmelin said he wished the leaders a “fruitful dialogue in the interest of your two countries and the world.” Once inside, Biden noted it was “always better to meet face-to-face” and Putin added he hoped the meeting would be “productive.” Biden has sought to tamp down expectations about the high stakes meeting but earlier this week told reporters he planned to take a tough line on issues including a recent string of cyberattacks and Russian aggression in Ukraine but also find areas of mutual interest where they could cooperate. The president is “not expecting a big set of deliverables out of this meeting,” the administration official said.
[SOURCE: msn.com / ENGAGEMENT: 8.03%]
TUCKER CARLSON BIZARRELY SUGGESTS CAPITOL INSURRECTION WAS ORCHESTRATED BY FBI
Taking his Jan. 6 denialism to another level on Tuesday night, Fox News host Tucker Carlson suggested the Capitol insurrection was a false flag orchestrated by the FBI in an effort to “suppress political dissent.” Almost since the moment that former President Donald Trump incited thousands of MAGA supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol in order to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s election victory, Carlson has downplayed the violent riots, repeatedly insisting there was “no insurrection” and that it was nothing more than a “political protest that got out of hand.” At the same time, the far-right Fox News star has rallied to the defense of the Capitol rioters, portraying them as largely peaceful protesters while raging against federal prosecutors for the hundreds of criminal charges filed in the wake of the insurrection. With more rioters still facing potential indictments, many have taken to cooperating with the feds to avoid or lessen jail time. And according to Carlson, the reason why the government has “thrown the book” at some rioters and not others is because of a deep-state plot to control the political narrative. Taking aim at Attorney General Merrick Garland for announcing a new strategy to combat domestic terrorism and violent extremism in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack, Carlson said this was just further proof that the government wants to “crush anyone who leads opposition to” Biden. After invoking Russian President Vladimir Putin’s latest whataboutism argument about the Capitol riots, which featured Putin referencing Capitol rioter Ashli Babbit’s death to deflect answering a question about jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, Carlson declared that Putin raised “fair questions.” Carlson went on to claim that the government is “hiding the identity of many law enforcement officers present at the Capitol on January 6, not just the one that killed” Babbit, stating that the government’s own court filings reveal that officers violently took part in the riot.
[SOURCE: thedailybeast.com / ENGAGEMENT: 7.06%]
LINA KHAN, PROGRESSIVE TECH CRITIC, SWORN IN AS FTC CHAIR
Progressive tech critic Lina Khan was sworn in as chair of the Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday, the agency said in a release. News that Khan would lead the agency came just hours after she was confirmed by the Senate to serve as a commissioner. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who leads the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on antitrust, first announced the new title at a hearing on Tuesday afternoon. The Senate approved Khan’s nomination as a commissioner earlier in the day in a 69-28 vote. The promotion puts the direction of the FTC in the hands of the young academic who helped launch a reckoning amongst antitrust scholars and enforcers. At 32, she was already the youngest commissioner ever confirmed to the agency, let alone to lead it. The Senate approved her nomination earlier in the day in a 69-28 vote. As chair, Khan will have the ability to steer the direction of the agency to a greater extent than she would as a commissioner. That makes the announcement a significant statement on President Joe Biden’s intended direction for the commission, suggesting he wants to see a progressive agenda. Khan will take over the helm from Acting Chair and Democrat Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, who has led the commission under Biden’s presidency. Biden is expected to name a third commissioner to succeed Democrat Rohit Chopra, whom he has nominated to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The FTC is made up of five commissioners who vote on enforcement matters, with no more than three coming from the same party. Khan’s confirmation signals a bipartisan desire to impose more regulations on Big Tech companies like Facebook, Amazon, Alphabet and Apple. She received the support of several Republicans, including Commerce Committee Ranking Member Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who participated in her confirmation hearing. Still, others like Senator Mike Lee, Republican-Utah, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on antitrust, opposed her confirmation. Lee has tended to be cautious about certain types of regulation despite concerns about tech companies’ influence and previously expressed apprehension about Khan’s experience.
[SOURCE: cnbc.com / ENGAGEMENT: 4.33%]
ISRAELI AIRSTRIKES TARGET GAZA SITES, FIRST SINCE CEASE-FIRE
Israeli aircraft carried out a series of airstrikes at militant sites in the Gaza Strip early Wednesday, the first such raids since a shaky cease-fire ended the war with Hamas last month. The airstrikes targeted facilities used by Hamas militants for meetings to plan attacks, the Israeli military said, blaming the group for any act of violence emanating from Gaza. There were no immediate reports of casualties. On Tuesday, hundreds of Israeli ultranationalists, some chanting “Death to Arabs,” paraded in east Jerusalem in a show of force that threatened to spark renewed violence. Palestinians in Gaza responded by launching incendiary balloons that caused at least 10 fires in southern Israel. The march posed a test for Israel’s fragile new government as well as the tenuous truce that ended last month’s 11-day war between Israel and Hamas. Palestinians consider the march, meant to celebrate Israel’s capture of east Jerusalem in 1967, to be a provocation. Hamas called on Palestinians to “resist” the parade, a version of which helped ignite last month’s 11-day Gaza war. With music blaring, hundreds of Jewish nationalists gathered and moved in front of Damascus Gate. Most appeared to be young men, and many held blue-and-white Israeli flags as they danced and sang religious songs. The crowd, while boisterous, appeared to be much smaller than during last month’s parade. From the Damascus Gate, they proceeded around the Old City to the Western Wall, the holiest place where Jews can pray. Ahead of the march, Israeli police cleared the area in front of Damascus Gate, shut down roads to traffic, ordered shops to close and sent away young Palestinian protesters. Police said that officers arrested 17 people suspected of involvement in violence, some of whom threw rocks and attacked police, and that two police officers needed medical treatment. Palestinians said five people were hurt in clashes with police. The parade provided an early challenge for Israel’s new prime minister, Naftali Bennett, a hardline Israeli nationalist who has promised a pragmatic approach as he presides over a delicate, diverse coalition government.
[SOURCE: politico.com / ENGAGEMENT: 4.17%]
CRISTIANO RONALDO SNUB SEES COCA-COLA MARKET VALUE FALL BY $4BN
Cristiano Ronaldo’s removal of two Coca-Cola bottles at a Euro 2020 news conference coincided with a $4 billion drop in the market value of the American drink giant. The Portugal captain was visibly troubled when he saw two bottles of the carbonated soft drink in front of him as he sat down to speak to the media on Monday in Budapest ahead of his national team’s Group F opener against Hungary. Ronaldo, an advocate of a healthy diet, moved the glass bottles out of the camera frame and instead held up a bottle of water and said in Portuguese: “Water!” Coca-Cola saw its share price drop by 1.6% to $55.22 soon after Ronaldo’s actions. The market value went from $242bn to $238bn — a $4bn drop. Coca-Cola, an official sponsor of Euro 2020, responded in a statement that “everyone is entitled to their drink preferences” with different “tastes and needs.” Coca-Cola company has 200 brands worldwide, including different types of water. A Euro 2020 spokesperson said: “Players are offered water, alongside Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, on arrival at our press conferences.” They added that without the support of brands like Coca-Cola, “we could not organise a tournament with such success for players and fans, nor invest in the future of football at all levels.” Coca-Cola’s partnership with UEFA goes back to 1988 with the company having “a long tradition of supporting all sports at its various levels” and which has allowed “investment in football at all levels.” On Tuesday, Ronaldo, 36, became the leading scorer in European Championship history with 11 goals. The Juventus forward struck twice in Portugal’s 3-0 win over Hungary in what was his record fifth tournament appearance.
[SOURCE: espn.com / ENGAGEMENT: 3.85%]
NORTH KOREA IS FACING A ‘TENSE’ FOOD SHORTAGE
North Korea is bracing itself for a possible food crisis in the coming months. Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, issued a rare warning about a “tense” food situation brought about by extensive flooding, the coronavirus pandemic and international sanctions, the state news media reported on Wednesday. Mr. Kim convened the Central Committee of his ruling Workers’ Party on Tuesday to assess the state of affairs in his isolated country, and said resolving the food shortage was “a top priority,” according to the official Korean Central News Agency. “In particular, the people’s food situation is now getting tense as the agricultural sector failed to fulfill its grain production” after flood damage, Mr. Kim was quoted as saying in the meeting. “It is essential for the whole party and state to concentrate on farming.” Although it is no secret that North Korea’s economy is in trouble, it is highly unusual for Mr. Kim to acknowledge a national food shortage as publicly and clearly as he did this week. In its latest assessment of the country’s food insecurity, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization warned that if the country’s food shortage is not covered by imports or foreign aid, “households could experience a harsh lean period between August and October.” Mr. Kim’s warning came two months after he ordered his party to wage an “arduous march” to relieve the economic pain of his people. The April remarks caught the attention of some outside analysts because the term “arduous march” is usually invoked by the North to refer to a crisis that must be overcome, such as the famine in the 1990s that caused millions of people to die. So far, no sign has emerged from North Korea that the country is in danger of another devastating famine, but South Korean reporters monitoring market prices in North Korea said that the price of rice has been rising sharply in recent weeks. Many essential goods, including medicine, are also becoming more scarce, as the pandemic forced North Korea to close its border with China, its only major trading partner, said Jiro Ishimaru, chief editor of Asia Press International, a website in Japan that monitors North Korea with the help of clandestine correspondents inside the country.
[SOURCE: nytimes.com / ENGAGEMENT: 3.37%]
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